Portable dark cabinet.



G. LEACHMAN. PORTABLE DARK CABINET.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 10. 1915.

1,208,586. Patented Dec. 12,1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

G. LEACHMAN.

PORTABLE DARK CABINET.

APPLICATION FILED no. 1915.

Patented Dec.12, 1916.'

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1- WI TNESSE-S: IN VE N TOR 0% George Leochmar.

X 13% BY ATTORNEY m: mum; IIYIR! 0a.. rucmumo umsnmcmn. o. c.

GEORGE LEACHMAN, OF NEW CUMBERLAND, WEST VIRGINIA.

PORTABLE DARK CABIN ET.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 12, 1916.

Application filed May 10, 1915. Serial No. 27,059.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE LEAGHMAN, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of New Cumberland, in the county of. Hancock and State ofWest Vir inia, have invented a new and Improved Tortable Dark Cabinet,of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention has for its object to provide a portable dark cabinethaving a table around which a flexible member is secured, the flexiblemember being normally supported above the table and having two openingswhich are normally closed by ruby glass. It is possible to substituteplates for the ruby glass, in one of which a lens may be mounted so thatthe cabinet may be used as a camera.

Another object of the invention is to provide the flexible member withobservation tubes, through which the operator may watch the work whichhe is doing in the cabinet, and in addition to provide two hand openingswhich have slides which may be held yieldingly against the operatorsarms by means operable from within the cabinet. Other objects of theinvention are to provide'a knock-down frame for supporting tho flexiblemember and the table and to provide a drawer for sliding in guidewaysbelow the table, it being possible to reach the contents of thedrawerthrough the opening in the table.

Additional objects of the invention will appear in the followingspecification in which the preferred form'of my invention is Idisclosed.

In the drawings similar reference characters refer to similar parts inall the views in which-- Figure 1 is a front elevation showing myinvention; Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3is a sectional view on the line 33 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a plan viewshowing the guideway and the guide for carrying the photographic plate;and Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view showing the guideway and theguide supporting the photographic plate, and with a lens mountedin oneof the'openings in the flexible member so that the device may be used asa camera.

-By referring to the drawings it will'be seen that a table 10 isprovided, around which there is secured a flexible member 11, four sidesof this flexible member converghis arms.

ing slightly upwardly to a rigid topmember 12, cleats 13 being secured,one to each side of this top member 12, these cleats 13 as well as thecleats 14: secured to the table 10, being supported in a manner whichwill shortly' be described;

' In the front of the flexible member 11 there are two openings 15around which guideways 16 are secured, slides 17 being provided formoving in these guideways 16,

j the said slides 17 having their lower ends 18 concave and with clothorsome other flexible member 19 depending from the said concave portionsof the lower ends 18. These slides 17 which may be closed are providedfor the insertion of the operators hands, the slides 17 movingdownwardly against the arms of theoperator to prevent lightv fromreaching the interior of the flexible member 11 around the operatorsarms, the

cloth or flexible members 19 assisting greatly in preventing theentrance of light into the interior of the flexible member 11. I

As will be seen by referring to Fig. 1 of the drawings, springs 20 aresecured to the tops of the slides 17, and terminals 21 on a cord 22, aresecured to these springs 20, the cord 22 passing through rings 23 at theside of the guideways 16, thence through orifices 24 in thestifienediextending portion 25 of the member 11, the cord 22 thenextending downwardly over. the members 26,

so that it is possible to loop the cord 22 over a button27 disposedadjacent the front of the table 10. i It will be understood that theoperator may insert his hands through the openings 15 after which he maydraw down the cord 22 within the flexible member 11 so that it may belooped over the button 127m hold the slides 17 yieldingly downward andto prevent light from entering into the interior of the flexible memberll around Above the stifl'ened projecting member 25 there are two openins 28, and to the flexible member 11 aroundvt ese openings 28 there aresecured two observation tubes 29. I prefer to provide the'outer ends ofthese'observation tubes 29 with soft" rings 30 so thatthe operator may,when looking through the observation tubes 29, press the soft rings 30around his eyes to prevent "light from entering the observation tubes29. When not making use of the observation tubes 29, they 'may be closedby the shutters 31 which are pivoted at '32 to a shank 33, the saidshank 33 being disposed through the bearing portions 32 of the shutters31 and extending through a sleeve 34 which connects the ends of the twoobservation tubes 29.

In the front of the flexible member 11- there is an opening 35 and inthe rear of the flexible member 11 there is an opening 36, there being aguideway 37 secured to the flexible member ll around the opening 35, anda guideway 38 secured to the flexible member 11 around the opening 36. Aruby glass 39 may be slid into the guideway 37 through which theoperator may look when desired, but when the device is used as a camerathe ruby glass 39 may be removed and the ground glass 39 may be substituted for the plate 57 so that the camera may be focused, and whenthis has been done the ground glass is removed, the ruby glass 39 isreplaced, and the photographic or sensitive plate 57 is disposed inposition. In the guideway 38 there may be introduced a ruby glass 40,but when the device is to be used as a camera, this ruby glass is slidout and in place thereof there is introduced a plate 41 in which a lens42 is mounted.

There is an opening 43 in the bottom of the table and below this opening43 there is normally disposed a drawer 44 which slides in the guideways45; this drawer 44 may be' employed to introduce a dish 46 with a bathor other liquid to be used as desired. When the operator does not wishto use the drawer 44, it may be covered by a lid 47 which, when thedrawer 44 is in use may be disposed on the table 10 at either 4 side ofthe opening 43. This lid 47 may be held in place over the opening 43 oron the table 10 at either side of the opening 43, by means of retainers48 pivoted in the bottom of a table, these retainers 48 also serving tohold the board 49 in place which supports the guideway 50 in which theguide 51 travels. It is possible to hold the guide 51 in a predeterminedposition relatively to the guideway 50 by a screw 52 with which meshes amilled nut 53, the head 54 of the.

screw 52 moving in the guideway 50 and being disposed through an orifice55 in the guide 51, the nut 53 pressing against the guide 51 to hold itin a predetermined position. This guide 51 has a slot 56 in which aphotographic plate 57 may be mounted, it being possible to obtain thedesired focus by the movement of the guide 51 in the guideway 50. 7

The cleats 13 are provided withdepending sockets 58 in which the upperends of the standards 59 are disposed, these standards 59 extending ingrooves 60 in the cleats 14, the standards 59 being held in the saidgrooves 60 by the resilient catches 61 which are mounted on the cleats14. Disposed below the cleats 14 and mounted on the standards 59 thereare collars 62 which are held in adjusted position relatively to thestandards 59 and the set screws 63, these collars 62 supporting thecleats 14. The lower ends of the standards 59 are disposed in sockets 67in blocks 66, there being slots 68 extending through the sides andthrough the top of the said blocks 66 so that the legs 69 which arepivoted in the slots 68 may be raised upwardly against each other whenthe standards 59 are removed from the sockets 67 in the blocks 66. Theselegs 69 normally diverge downwardly as illustrated in Fig. 2 of thedrawings and they are held relatively to each other by tie members 70.

Straps 72 are secured to the observation tubes'29 and may be disposedaround the head of the operator and be held together by means of abuckle 73, thereby holding the observation tubes close around the eyesof the operator.

It will be understood that when the sockets 58 and the cleats 14 arefreed from the standards 59, the flexible member 11 may be pressedagainst the table 10 and the portable dark room may be packed in a smallspace.

Having thus described my invention I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent:

1. In a portable dark cabinet, a table, a flexible inclosing membersecured around the table, there being two openings in the flexiblemember, slides for partially closing the openings, springs secured tothe slides, and a cord disposed within the flexible member and havingterminals secured to the springs for the purpose specified.

2. In a portable dark cabinet, a table, a flexible inclosing membersecured around the table, there being two openings in the flexiblemember, slides for partially closing the openings, a cord disposedwithin the flexible member and having terminals, means connecting theterminals one with each slide, and a button within the flexibleinclosing member around which the cord between its terminals may bedisposed for holding the slides in predetermined positions.

3. In a portable dark cabinet, a table, a flexible inclosing membersecured around the table, there being two openings in the flexiblemember, slides for partially closing the openings, springs secured tothe slides, a cord disposed within the flexible member and havingterminals, one secured to each spring, and a button within the flexibleinclosing member around which the cord between its terminals may bedisposed for holding the slides in predetermined positions.

4. In a portable dark cabinet, a table, a flexible member secured aroundthe table, means for supporting the flexible member, there being anopening at the front and an other at the back of the flexible member, a

lens in one of the openings, means for detachably supporting a plate inthe other opening, means for closing the opening in which the lens isnormally disposed, a guideway on the table extending between theopenings, there being one or more additional openings in the flexiblemember, a slide or slides for partially closing the said addi tionalopenings, and means within the flexible member for operating the slideor slides.

5. In a portable dark cabinet, a table, a flexible member secured aroundthe table, two sockets, one secured at each side of the top of theflexible member, two standards with their upper ends disposed in thesockets, cleats having recesses, secured to the table, the standardsbeing normally disposed in the recesses, collars adjustably mounted onthe standards, means for securing the collars to the standards inadjusted position, there being vertically extending threaded orifices inthe collars, screws in the threaded orifices engaging the cleats forraising the latter as desired, blocks having sockets in which the lowerends of the standards are disposed, slots extending through the top andthe sides of the blocks, legs pivoted in the slots and tie members forconnecting the legs below the blocks when the legs diverge downwardlyfrom the blocks.

6. In a portable dark cabinet, a table, a flexible member, securedaround the table,

two sockets, one secured at each side of the top of the flexible member,two standards with their upper ends disposed in the sockets, cleatshaving recesses secured to the table, the standards being normallydisposed in the recesses, collars adjustably mounted on the standards,means for securing the collars to the standards in adjusted position,there being vertically extending threaded orifices in the collars, andscrews in the threaded orifices engaging the cleats for raising thelatter as desired.

7. In a portable dark cabinet, a table, a flexible member secured aroundthe table, two standards, means by which the standards are adapted forsupporting the flexible member and the table, blocks having sockets inwhich the lower ends of the standards are normally disposed, slotsextending through the top and the sides of the blocks, legs pivoted inthe slots and a tie member for connecting the legs below the blocks whenthe legs diverge downwardly from the blocks.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to thisspecification in thepresence of the subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE LEACHMAN.

Witnesses:

J A. MCKENZIE, E. A. HART, G. L. BAMBRICK.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, byaddressing. the "Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. O.

